A satellite positioning receiver receives signals from remote satellites in order to determine its position. The signals are transmitted by the satellites using a carrier wave. For example, carrier waves of signals transmitted by satellites that operate in accordance with the Global Positioning System (GPS) have a frequency of 1.575 GHz.
A satellite positioning receiver uses an oscillator to receive transmitted satellite signals. The oscillator is used to perform down-conversion from the carrier frequency to a baseband frequency.
Certain factors, such as temperature, can cause the oscillation frequency of the oscillator to change, making it uncertain. This uncertainty has an effect on the size of the frequency band that a satellite positioning receiver scans when searching for satellite positioning signals. As the uncertainty in the oscillation frequency increases, the frequency band to be searched becomes larger.